“REAL-TIME” CLIMATE EVENTS IN THE BORGIA-GROUP CODICES: TESTING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE CALENDAR

Abstract

AbstractIn the past decade, a number of prominent scholars have attempted to use astronomical data to place the images on page 27 of theCodex Borgiain “real-time.” This method has yielded some interesting results, but all of these authors have assumed that theCodex Borgiawas produced in accordance with the Aztec calendar. Given the probable origin of theCodex Borgiain the area bordering the Mixtec and eastern Nahua cultural areas, this assumption needs to be tested. This article compares weather-related images that have associated dates on Borgia 27–28 with tree-ring data and estimated maize yields from the Puebla area. Our research for this paper seems to confirm the use of the Aztec calendar in theCodex Borgia. By analyzing depictions of weather phenomenon relating to maize production, we also offer a fresh analysis of this well-known document, specifically arguing that a major drought is shown in a 1 Rabbit year, whereas the year 1 Flint is linked with a period of dryness following heavy rains, a condition sometimes linked with locust swarms like those on Borgia 27.